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Old-fashioned English muffins

These beautiful little specimens are truly hard to beat when it comes to the ultimate comfort food.

Makes 8–10 muffins (V)

575g strong white bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

150ml warm water

175–225ml milk, at room temperature

Oil, for oiling

Equipment

Round pastry cutter; my cutter measured 8.5cm

Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl, then make a well in the centre and pour in the water and milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir it all together, then put the spoon down and use your hands to bring the mixture together into a ball. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or for 5 minutes if using a food processor fitted with a dough hook.

Once it has been kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Once the dough is ready, remove it from the bowl and roll it out into a rough circle, about 1.5–2cm thick. Cut out 8–10 circles with the round pastry cutter. Usually when I do these I have to scrunch the dough up and re-roll it so I get the right amount of circles.

Put a flat baking tray or very large frying pan over a low heat. Once the tray or pan is hot, place a few of the circles on the tray or pan and cook slowly for about 4 minutes on each side. It is possible to cook the muffins completely on the hob, but if they have begun to go too dark and are still looking a bit doughy on the sides they can be finished off in the oven for about 5–8 minutes.

Once they are cooked, remove them from the oven/hob and slice in half. I do like to pop these in the toaster or back on the baking tray, cut side down, to crisp up the inside. Then they can be slathered with hot butter and raspberry jam. Totally delicious!